A year and a half ago, while searching for a recording of Bach’s Matthäus-Passion to share with a friend, I stumbled across a YouTube clip entitled simply: ”St Matthew Passion. No. 1.”

Filled with idle musical curiosity, I clicked away, and within moments, realized that I had discovered something extraordinary. This was breathtaking music; grandiose, yet restrained; a piece that spoke more eloquently of the sorrow and hope of Christ’s suffering than anything I’d experienced since hearing Bach’s own Matthäus-Passion for the first time. Yet despite the obvious influences of Leipzig’s Capellmeister, the piece’s sombre Russian sensibilities were equally unmistakable. Who was this composer? And why had it taken me so long to discover his work?

A bit of research revealed an answer as unexpected as was my initial (lucky) discovery: this astonishing work was written barely five years ago. And its creator, despite producing some of the most beautiful, traditionally-influenced sacred music I’ve had the pleasure to discover, isn’t even a “full-time composer.” He’s a bishop.

Meet Hilarion Alfeyev, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, Vicar of the Moscow diocese, and chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Department for External Church Relations.

Recently, the Metropolitan found some time in his (superhumanly busy) schedule to talk about his Passion and his musical influences, the unusual opportunity he has to be both composer and celebrant, and his hopes for future dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.

May God bless Metropolitan Hilarion and hold him tightly in His loving embrace.

He's got some good ideas about the need for Catholics and Orthodox to work together to promote and defend authentic Christian moral values as well as the urgency of the "new evangelization" our societies need.

But he'd be more credible to me if he'd repudiate his approval of the Pseudo-Synod of Lviv in 1946. What kind of dialog can you have with Catholics if you think that particular historical and tragic event, which resulted in abetting Soviet violence, theft and the exploitation and martyrdom of Catholics, was somehow OK?

I did obtain a CD of his Divine Liturgy and I regret to say it didn't sound hardly at all moving or unique. I found it to be pretty bland...to my unhappy surprise. Oh well.

But he'd be more credible to me if he'd repudiate his approval of the Pseudo-Synod of Lviv in 1946. What kind of dialog can you have with Catholics if you think that particular historical and tragic event, which resulted in abetting Soviet violence, theft and the exploitation and martyrdom of Catholics, was somehow OK?

So, what you are saying is you prefer Metropolitan Hilarion reduced to some obscure diocese in Siberia (or worse), rather than have him in a position of real authority where he can do some good, for the sake of a purely symbolic apology? On this issue, Hilarion cannot afford to get too far out in front of the rest of the Synod.

But he'd be more credible to me if he'd repudiate his approval of the Pseudo-Synod of Lviv in 1946. What kind of dialog can you have with Catholics if you think that particular historical and tragic event, which resulted in abetting Soviet violence, theft and the exploitation and martyrdom of Catholics, was somehow OK?

No, Stuart: that's not what I'm saying. I'm caling on the ROC-MP to repudiate the Pseudo-Synod of Lviv; admit they were wrong in their collaboration with the Soviet state on this issues and declare, once and for all, that they agree we Greek Catholics have a right not only to exist but to conduct our eccelsiastical business without their static and interference.

I want the ROC-MP to "get over" themselves and renouce the fantasy that they are the only legitimate Church in the region.

Anything less than that ain't never gonna be good enough for me - as far as i know. What they did to us was unspeakable and they ain't 'fessed up to and apoligised yet - as far as I know.

Then don't pile on Metropolitan Hilarion. Though he, and probably other younger bishops, would probably be amenable to such a statement, the Old Guard are not. Politics is the art of the possible. Learn to settle for half a loaf today, in the hope of the rest of the loaf tomorrow, because half of something is better than all of nothing.

Too many of us are running around looking for apology's and people to love us. It is not important to be apologised to or to be loved by people. But it is important to love people and to apologise to them.

Humility will bring unity. Dont be waiting for the other side to bow their heads and apologise. Bow your head now and apologise and love them so that they see Christ and not you. This is how unity is brought about. Not by waiting for others to be an example before we make our move. But by being an example now in the present moment.

Anyhow I thought this thread was about the beauty of music. By the way I googled St.Matthews Passion No.1 and I was blown away. What a treat for lent.

Wheelbarrow, another great lenten (and Easter) favorite is Handle's "Messiah" Jennens's text which Handle based his oratorio on is a reflection on Jesus Christ as Messiah with prophetic phrases of Isaiah, through the Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ to his ultimate glorification in heaven. Here is a great performance of the Hallelujah Chorus (which most people are familiar with) http://youtu.be/C3TUWU_yg4s the entire work has many parts which are just as magnificient and inspirational...

What most interested me in that interview (I thought it was well known that Met. Hilarion is an accomplished composer. Shows how small my world is. LOL)

Quote:

Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev: The theological differences between Rome and the Orthodox East are well known...But today a different problem is acquiring primary importance – the problem of the unity of Orthodox and Catholics in the cause of defending traditional Christianity. To our great regret, a significant part of Protestant confessions by the beginning of the 21st century has adopted the liberal values of the modern world and in essence has renounced fidelity to Biblical principles in the realm of morality. Today in the West, the Roman Catholic Church remains the main bulwark in the defence of traditional moral values – such, for example, as marital fidelity, the inadmissibility of artificially ending human life, the possibility of marital union as a union only between man and woman.

Therefore, when we speak of dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, I believe that the priority in this dialogue today should not be the question of the filioque or the primacy of the Pope. We should learn to interact in that capacity that we find ourselves in today – in a state of division and absence of Eucharistic communion. We ought to learn how to perceive each other not as rivals but as allies by understanding that we have a common missionary field and encounter common challenges. We are faced with the common task of defending traditional Christian values, and joint efforts are essential today not out of certain theological considerations but primarily because we ought to help our nations to survive. These are the priorities which we espouse in this dialogue.

I'd love to hear more of this. We have a president in the US who has redefined freedom of religion as in his words "freedom of worship". Europe and Canada have already lost their religious freedoms to a great extent. I heard a report on Catholic radio yesterday about requirements affirmed now in Canada that homeschoolers must be taught various things which are contrary to moral teachings of Christianity as affirmed by both Holy Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

I applaud the Metropolitan... and our USCCB which continues to lead a strong fight today in the US.

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"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."

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